Learn about our riders and the story of their cycling careers.
I started riding my bike as summer training for speedskating. In the summer there is no option to skate on ice, to prepare your fitness cycling is a sport what is most simulare to speedskating. I enjoyed the freedom riding in the dutch dunes. When I was 15 years old I did race my first competition on the bike.
I started riding at around age 4 in our driveway. Racing came much later thanks to a combination of Lance winning the Tours, the mountain bike movie "ROAM" playing on a bike shop TV, and an injury forcing me out of high school basketball.
I grew up chasing my two older brothers around on bikes, building jumps out of old stumps, plywood and anything we could get our hands on in the backyard. Although this definitely sparked my competitive spirit and made me fall in love with riding, it wasn't until high school through the NorCal NICA league that I really started racing.
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My dad fueled my love for racing and created opportunities for me to work for new equipment, travel to races, and ultimately fall in love with the sport and it’s competitive nature. Moving to Durango to attend Fort Lewis College solidified my dream of racing professionally and my girlfriend, Savilia Blunk, motivates me to be better on and off the bike everyday!
Brennan, or as we like to refer to him, 'The Gentle Giant', is a 6'5" and is usually quite easy to spot in the bunch due to his size and beautifully custom painted bikes. Brennan has been racing gravel since 2021, with the 2022 season being his first professional season. Prior to racing gravel, Brennan dabbled in road cycling for a few seasons. But his engine wasn't built on the bike. Before he discovered bike racing, Brennan spent 7 years rowing competitively at an international level. In 2018, Brennan and his teammates on the U.S. National Team won the U23 World Championship in Poland, setting a World Best Time that still stands to this day. For 2023, Brennan will be racing a full calendar of the biggest gravel races and trying his hand at mountain bike racing in the Lifetime Grand Prix.
Kelsey is a professional cross-country cyclist in love with the challenge of learning her body to find a new limit and passionate about bringing the power of two wheels to more people. She sees cycling as empowerment, an opportunity to connect with yourself, the community around you and nature. When not racing, she can be found in exploring a new swim spot, trying out a recipe, reading, or picnicking. She rides for Team 31, a team devoted to getting more kids playing on bikes. She graduated from Stanford in 2020 and lives in her van with her partner and dog.
I just turned 18 and I'm a senior in high school in Austin, Texas. I've raced many XC races in the NICA and Texas leagues while in middle and high school. Over the past few years, I've started competing at out-of-state races with the support of Texas Devo in the junior ranks. This past fall, I applied and was accepted to Colorado Mesa University and I'm excited to be racing with their varsity team in the fall of 2023. In addition to XC, I also enjoy competing in marathon races and I'm interested in racing gravel. Recently, I won the women's overall at the 2022 Austin Rattler MTB race, securing a spot in The Leadville 100. I'm absolutely thrilled and honored to have the support of Orange Seal Academy as I enter the U23 ranks.
It's a dream come true to be working and training alongside John and Dennis, representing Texas, and being a part of an incredible team of athletes that I look up to. I can't wait to see where this takes me!
I have always loved to ride but never considered competing until I was nine. At the time I was doing gymnastic and I just never got into it. So I asked my Mom and Dad if I could start racing.
My name is Nico Konecny, I am 16 years old and from the town of Breckenridge, Colorado. I
have been a mountain biker ever since I could remember. I started competitive racing when I was 9 years
old, and ever since then, my love has been growing for the sport and racing. I started racing small local
races and eventually have moved my way up to racing at a national level for US cups and National
Championships for the past 7 years. Throughout the years I have been able to achieve 5 US National titles
and many memorable experiences.
I remember the first time I really fell in love was racing kermesses in Europe. I had already been committed to racing for a long time, but seeing what racing was like and how it could be a career pushed me to really find my best self.
I work as the League Director for NICA Nevada and the Program Coordinator for Reno Devo and so I am fortunate enough to work with young athletes every day. I always tell them to find ways to keep riding fun! Hard work is important, but the desire to get outside and ride your bike is more important than any interval set you will ever complete.
After my first race when I was 10 or 11 years old. My dad signed us up as something fun to do one rainy weekend when we were living in New Hampshire. After a muddy race I was hooked and I’ve been racing ever since.
I have been cycling since I was about 10, and when I was 12 I broke a National Record at Track Cycling Nationals. When I was 13, I won Track Nationals and was competing at the National level in all 4 disciplines: Road, Track, MTB and CX. In 2018 I was on the National podiums in all 4 of them. Since my local velodrome was torn down a few years ago, I shifted my cycling focus to the off-road with MTB and CX. In the 2021-22 UCI CX season, I competed as a Junior and had one UCI win, made 3 additional UCI podiums, was 6th at the Pan American Championships, and was first alternate for the USA Worlds team. I also have been the Texas State Cat 1 CX champ for multiple years. Over the past year, I have branched out my interests to include music composing and filmmaking. I also play piano and enjoy a good chess game!
My name is Corbin Gudgell. I’m 15 and from League City, TX. I started racing BMX i was 3 years old and then shifted to mountain bikes when I was 10. I started taking my racing serious about 2 years ago and consider myself a strong technical rider and enjoy challenging rocky courses. In 2021 I won the TMBRA Fall Cup Series in Cat 2 15-18 and in 2022 I won the TMBRA Spring XC State Championship Series in Cat 1 15-18. I’m looking forward to the challenges of 2023 with the help of my parents, Texas Devo and Orange Seal.
I like to do a mix of racing from 6 mile STXC races to 155 mile gravel races, with my favorite being marathon XC. I’m definitely a type A person and love to analyze my power data and strava after I ride. I’ve been racing and riding for 5 years, and I can’t wait to enjoy the next 4 years in Arkansas!
My name is Gabriel Payne I'm 17 and a first year junior, I started racing the local Texas mountain bike races when I was 7. Now I am racing with the Texas Devo cycling team racing national level mountain bike races. I also enjoy racing road and gravel. All the bikes are fun!
My name is Isaac Bailey. I am 16, and I am a member of the Texas Devo team. This year, I am racing as a CAT 2 racer in my second full year of mountain biking.
As a homeschool Junior, I will be attending community college in the Fall. I enjoy listening to and producing music, as well as playing video games with my friends when I am not in the saddle.
My family and I live in Austin, Texas! I love the biking community in the area and the trail network that is available. I have been able to meet some amazing people, and I love getting to connect with people from all over the country.
I have lived in 5 States and 1 International country. My dream is to travel and race in Europe and, eventually, race on the UCI Elite Men World Cup tour.
My name is Isaac Might. I am 15 and live in Austin, TX. I began mountain biking when I was 12. I really began to ride a lot and sharpen my skills during the early pandemic and soon after developed a passion for cross country racing. Living in the hill country just outside of Austin, my strengths are technical climbing and endurance. I’ve recently taken up road biking and enjoy learning the tactical skills that help make a rider more competitive. In 2021 I placed 2nd place in Freshman division 1 for NICA and placed 12th at Nationals in Winter Park. This year I placed 1st in JV division 1 for NICA and I’m excited for the challenge provided by Nationals again in Winter Park. I’m proud to ride for Texas Devo and I’m grateful for Orange Seals’ sponsorship and hope to represent them well.
I’m Samantha Campbell and I’ve been riding bikes for as long as I can remember. It started as a family sport that I did with my parents who were both avid cyclists at the time and still are to this day. I started competing in 6th grade in the Texas state league and in 8th grade, I began racing in NICA. I made my way through the ranks and had many successful races. In 2021, I raced in some out of state events in addition to competing in the pro/open category in the Texas state league and Varsity in NICA (as a sophomore). As a rising high school senior, I’m honored to be a part of the Texas Development Team. This team and its sponsors, like Orange Seal, have given us so many opportunities to attend these out of state races. I hope to someday ride for a collegiate team and go on to compete in national and international races.
After years of following my local bike shop guys around the Southeast, I decided to take on my first National Championships at Bear Creek, PA. There, I won Cat 2 XC and 3rd in Cat 1 Super D – this lit my fire for the world of bike racing and eventually lead me to Europe.
A DOUBLE arm break with a kid on the way made it clear that my ATV motocross hobby probably wasn't sustainable. Mountain biking scratched the competitive itch and it has since become a basis of lifestyle. Building, maintaining and fixing bikes is as much fun (maybe more than?) as riding them for me.
I've always liked riding two wheel but started making bikes more RAD in 2020. From shredding snowy groomed trails around Michigan on fat bikes, taking in scenic gravel rides, or ripping some epic singletrack on mountain bikes , riding has become my hobby ,exercise, and passion to fuel my creative outlet.
I used to be a lot of things, none of which are noteworthy. Now I'm a dad, which IS noteworthy. I ride and race all the bikes, I love me some fatbiking, and I'm the President of our local mountain bike association. Just out here taking my fun seriously.
Being a lifelong athlete has made me into quite the meathead. While the aches and pains of a football, rugby, and mixed martial arts fighting career still live in these bones , riding all the bikes has given me a perfect path to a long future of health and happiness. Bikes check all the boxes for me - getting outside, getting into great shape, and being fun as hell. And if need be, I can still pull duty as Cole and Payson's bodyguard
When not crushing miles in my basement (the scenery is unreal) I prefer my recumbent fixed-gear gravel trike.
#nocap
My faith alone is the dominant factor in getting me where I am today. Aside from that, my mom has stepped in to support me more than anyone else, to help with my daughter while I am racing and training.
On any given sunny day, Enrique can be found pace setting for athletes Kelsey and Bradyn
I love tto swim after a nice long bike ride with mom and dad. I'm thankful my dad "Mr Jorts" is a Master Chef, creator of the Octo-dog, never a hungry soul in our house.
